1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game, and more particularly to a game having an object piece that may be moved from a playing surface through an opening disposed at an end of a frame.
2. Description of Related Art
Puzzles and games that are a source of entertainment, mental stimulation, and improving dexterity are well known in the art. Some puzzles move a game piece about a plane within a bounded frame from a start position to an end position by determining a proper sequence of moves to navigate around other game pieces to the end position. Another popular version of this type of game is to orient a sequence of game pieces to spell out words or complete a picture. In either case, a framework of pieces may be interlocked within a frame using game pieces having tongues and grooves. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,281 to Feller. An advantage of this type of framework is that the pieces are not lost and the player is prohibited from cheating. Game pieces are moved in one block increments based on the position of an open space within the framework.
One disadvantage of this type of framework is the difficulty in completing the task and a player may lose interest. Further, once the game is “solved” there may be little motivation for a user to continue play. It is also difficult to reset. Other games may include different sized pieces, along with a designated object piece. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,213 to Kuczynski and U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,641 to Collin.
Attempts are known in the art to make these games more interesting and easier to reset using at least one opening on the frame where the game piece may slide out. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,150 to Monoyios. Although these types of games provide a means of removal, the design is simple and may be boring to a more experienced player after solving the puzzle the first time.
Thus, there is a desire and a need in the art to provide improvements to a game to make it not only easy to provide continuous entertainment, but also provide a more challenging game while aiding in improving the dexterity of the player. Additionally, there is also a need in the art for a computerized game for players that require more variety in graphics and difficulty in their game play.